Quick Facts
VirgoBiography
Richard B. Vail (August 31, 1895 – July 29, 1955) was a U.S. Representative from Illinois.
Background
Richard Bernard Vail was born on August 31, 1895, in Chicago, Illinois. He attended public school, the School of Commerce, the Chicago Technical College, and the John Marshall Law School.
Career
During World War I, he served in the United States Army as a lieutenant of infantry. He then engaged in the manufacture of steel products.
Federal service
Vail worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) before running for office.
Vail was elected as a Republican to the Eightieth Congress (January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949). He served on the House Un-American Activities Committee.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1948 to the Eighty-first Congress. Vail was elected to the Eighty-second Congress (January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1953). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1952 to the Eighty-third Congress and for election in 1954 to the Eighty-fourth Congress.
Private sector
He served as chairman of the board of directors of the Vail Manufacturing Company of Chicago. Vail manufactured staplers, paper clips, and fasteners and was eventually acquired by Acco International in 1966.
Personal and death
Vail died age 59 onJuly 29, 1955, in Chicago and was interred in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Worth, Illinois.